Tyrese Haliburton hits insane buzzer-beater, mimics Reggie Miller choke celebration vs. Knicks

Tyrese Haliburton almost called game in regulation against the New York Knicks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. However, his right foot was touching the 3-point line, sending the game to overtime instead of winning the game at the buzzer.

Haliburton’s immediate reaction to the shot was to pull out the classic Reggie Miller choke celebration, which he did, ironically, against the Knicks Game 5 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals. New York led by as many as 17 points during regulation during Wednesday’s matchup. Here’s how it went down:

TYRESE HALIBURTON WITH AN INSANE SHOT AT THE BUZZER TO WIN IT FOR THE PACERS (+150 ML) BUT IT'S RULED A TWO 🤯

WE'RE HEADED TO OT. pic.twitter.com/iWBUbtWPSB

— br_betting (@br_betting) May 22, 2025

The Indiana Pacers trailed the Knicks by nine points in the final minute of the ballgame. However, Pacers would make an epic comeback and go on to put themselves in the position to tie the game, or go for the win at the end of regulation. Haliburton moved up the floor with the ball. Never passing it away, he drove in for the potential tying attempt. However, the Pacers star stopped on a dime to pivot back behind the 3-point arc.

Haliburton stepped back and it appeared as though he had got the shot off behind the line. The ball hit hard off the back iron of the rim, bounced high and fell right through the net as the buzzer sounded. Upon review, Haliburton’s foot was on the line, sending the game to overtime.

“I thought it was a three,” Haliburton told TNT’s Allie LaForce on the court after the game. “I tried to hit the (celebration) and it didn’t work. … Everybody’s been wanting me to do it. I was going to hold it for the right time. It felt appropriate and then it went to overtime. We’ll have to save it for overtime.”

The Pacers would go on to defeat the Knicks in Madison Square Garden 138-135 during the extra period. Haliburton finished with 31 points and 11 assists during the game, and is now the second player in franchise history to finish a playoff game with at least 30 points and 10 assists.

“Basketball is fun, and winning is fun,” Haliburton told TNT’s Allie LaForce on the court after the game. “I’m so proud of the resilience of this group. We’ve shown it all year. We’ve had to win in so many random, unique ways and today we kept going and kept fighting. Man, that’s fun.”

It marks the first victory for the Indiana Pacers in the conference finals since 2004, and are now three wins away from returning to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2000. Game 2 is slated for Friday night at 8 p.m. ET.